Gospel Essentials

Marjorie Fleuridor

CWV-101

October 13, 2016

Professor Steve Duby

Gospel Essentials

The Christian worldview encompasses about a third of the world’s population holds many essential elements and one of their biggest elements is their belief in a higher power, God.  Christian’s hold a theistic worldview, meaning their worship is to one God and their worldview also surrounds the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit God. Throughout this paper, I shall provide a breakdown and/or explanation on various components in relation to the Christian worldview and a reflection on my beliefs as well.

God

God created all things and when he created the universe, all good was put into everything developed as well as viewed in such a manner because he himself was good. God is the creator of the heavens, Earth, day/night, creatures of all kinds, food, and mankind whose duty is to care for all of God’s creations. Per the textbook, God is “unchanging, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present” (Hiles et al., 2014) in which only God held such characteristics even though humankind were created in his image, no human being can obtain these qualities. The book of Genesis informs on how God is ever loving and forgiving. He has love for his children and this is evident in the book of John, which says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John3:16). The factor of giving his only son to take our sins away, so that we have salvation and enter heaven with Him for a life of eternity, shows God’s character as that of being “loving, trustworthy, righteous, faithful, good, gracious, and compassionate” (Psalm145).

Humanity

What makes us distinctly different from other creatures and purely human is what we call human nature. The main reason in which we are different from other creatures is our ability to reason, which is a unique gift for mankind. God created humans in his image to take dominion over what he has created and the purposes God set for human beings are being fruitful, to multiply, take control over the Earth, name the animals, and maintains well as care for the garden. Also, God created humans to function their lives per wisdom under God’s kingly reign. Furthermore, human purpose is to love, fear, live wisely with God. The root cause of human problem is sin, which was brought forth by the fall of Adam and Eve because of their act of disobedience, so the result is humans are sinful by nature.  

Jesus

The heavens and earth was created in the beginning, and existed prior to his existence, so absolute power is what he had. Jesus is the son of God and the son of God is God because Jesus is God made manifest. Christian faith and worldview revolves around Jesus, a man who walked the face of the earth, but he was no ordinary man. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son to die, so that mankind can live for eternity except for those who did not believe in him. Jesus was sent to do many of things. As mentioned, Jesus was sent to serve and give his life as ransom for all mankind to save the world. Also, Jesus’ mission was to spread the good news of God’s kingdom and to make atonement for the sins of mankind. Furthermore, Jesus would eventually destroy the devils work and bring judgment. Jesus’ identity and work is significant to the Christian worldview because he is the center of the Christian worldview. For those who follow such a worldview believe that Jesus’ life is a representation of how they are to serve in life. Jesus did not stand behind the lesson of and eye for an eye, yet he taught to that one must turn the other cheek as a way of displaying forgiveness for he was full of love which could be seen through Jesus’ baptism and miracles. Jesus, the son of God gave his life willingly and on the third day he was crucified, resurrected, and never to be separated, Jesus’ body as well as spirit reunited again. The resurrection of Christ paved the way all mankind are to be resurrected.

Restoration

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The Christian worldview believe that accepting Jesus into your heart and following his every word serve as solutions to human problem. The message which was spread throughout God’s kingdom was available to everyone and this was profoundly shocking to the religious leadership of his day. The role grace and faith play in Christian salvations humankind must place their faith in Christ to receive salvation. Those deemed as sinners, must confess their unworthiness of entry into heaven and declare their need of a savoir because to need savoir means that the acknowledgment that no amount of prayer, good deeds, or rituals will guarantee salvation. Salvation is granted through his grace alone and is not based on what one has done because God’s gospel message is to rescue, redeem, and renew. Also, the transformation of self and society occurs through God's saving grace and the belief is, as individuals become saved, they develop spirituality in which their moral character improves as well. As an individual who is now saving, one may feel as though they have more to offer and aid bettering society.

Analysis

The benefits or strengths of Christian belief is when you have faith, the benefits of salvation enter your life in the form of a healing, peace, joy, love, and prosperity. Also, holding the Christian belief instills the act of being kind, compassionate, and forgiving of one another just as Christ forgave us because the act of forgiveness prevents ill intentions or feelings such as holding grudges or vendettas would not have the chance to fester. What is troublesome and confusing about Christianity is despite God's unconditional love and forgiveness, there lies a gap between the principles Christians aspire to uphold and the capability of living to such standards. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was only to rectify humanity so that mankind could be cleansed of their sins, but such a sacrifice does not act as a magic wand where people are free of sin and represent God’s image just as intended.